As I write, the Gambier skies are gray. Patches of snow from last week’s storm still cluster on the grass outside my window. It’s December 2007. I’m perfectly aware, of course, that you may be reading this column in March or April 2008, when the Spring issue of KR arrives in the mail and at bookstores. Or there’s an equal chance you’ll be leafing through these pages sometime later, months or even years after publication, because The Kenyon Review does possess a long shelf life—readers comb the offerings of back issues long after the journal first appears.
Timeliness, or the lack thereof, affects the earlier stages of the process as well. Between the moment a story or poem arrives in our offices (electronically these days)—one among thousands—days and weeks and sadly even months may expire before our handful of valiant and talented readers begins to read the particular submission. If deemed promising enough, it may then be passed along to me. I confess that still more time will undoubtedly elapse. But read it carefully I will. And, if bowled over, I will happily accept it for publication in KR. That’s the best part of my job.
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